44 BUILD MANITOBA winnipegconstruction.ca were designed originally for a 32-storey tower. As such, she notes, “Geotechnical and material testing was done on the existing structure and foundations to calculate their actual capacities so that we could determine which portions of the structure required strengthening to accommodate the loads of the new tower.” Site storage has also been a challenge. Since the ground of the site serves as a roof to the underground structure below, crews have had to take this into account when positioning the crane and storing heavy items (e.g., steel) on site. “We were left with limited room on the immediate street sides for storage and operations, making delivery, material use and trade scheduling much more particular than a typical project,” Martens adds. Nevertheless, architect Raymond Wan says the problems are typical for a build of this size and scope. Herein, coordination between all parties has been essential: “It is a challenging project with many unique issues, but that’s why the team’s approach has been critical to the success of this project. Fortunately, cooperation among all parties including the general contractor, sub-trades, consultants and other specialty groups have been excellent. “ Martens agrees: “Our Marwest team continues to rise to the challenge thanks in large part to a strong and driven consultant team, talented and eager sub-trades and the constant support and coordination from our client, Artis REIT.” “Moral and energy levels are high, and we look forward to making history,” he adds. RAYMOND S.C WAN ARCHITECT 300 MAIN SOUTH TOWER “Creating spaces to enhance the human experience.”